Making a Table Saw Fence Alignment Checking Jig
- Read Time: 5 mins
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There is nothing more frustrating than trying to assemble parts to a woodworking project and finding out they don't align properly. Many times we blame ourselves for not being more careful in our cuts or for not taking enough time to make proper measurements, but in many cases it's simply that the tools we are using have come out of alignment and need to be re-tuned or re-set.
On the table saw the item that needs to be re-set the most if ... of course the fence. It is the most used item on the table saw and is constantly being moved back and forth and tightened and loosened and all this activity, will, over time create a small amount of wear which results in the fence being out of alignment.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/RDW58ZPr-XE
Every fence for every table saw has some sort of adjustment mechanism. Some are better than others, but all of them can be adjusted. My first table saw has such and awful fence that even when I adjusted it, every time I moved it to a new location, I still had to check and set the front and back separately. It was terribly slow to use, but it was all I could afford and it did the job for me. More advanced and expensive fences are easier to set by simply turning a small set screw but regardless of the fence ... they ALL need to be checked and re-checked from time to time ...
Make a Matched Wooden Knife and Cake Lifter
- Read Time: 3 mins
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My inspiration for this pair of wooden utensils is that for many parts of the world, spring and summer are the time of year that is popular for couples to join together in marriage and similar civil ceremonies. These events are joyful time for families and friends to come together to celebrate the event and share conversations and food. In many cultures the cutting and sharing of a desert, like a wedding cake is the representation of the joining together of family and friends.
I have watched many brides and grooms cutting cakes with family heirloom swords and knives, but not every family have items like this ... so why not make something that could become future family heirloom ... a knive and matching cake lifter. But these are far from limited to weddings, they could be used for birthdays, anniversaries or any special event where family and friends might gather together.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/0IjEbuV1Nkg
I have never made these before but looked forward to the experience. I wanted these items be more that just cutting up some nice wood and to make them appear different, I elected to glue together different colored strips to form something of a pattern.
Make a Standing Patio Drink Cooler
- Read Time: 3 mins
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I never understand why some things I build are so much more fun to make than other things, and this standing drink cooler was one of those "surpriose" fun builds. It is meant to be somewhat rustic, after all, it is an outdoor furniture piece, and a great compliment to the Barbecue or backyard grill that is a great place for entertainment and enjoyment.
The concept is simple, find a square plastic container suitable to hold ice, then build a free standing, waist level stand to hold it, give it a lid and in no time you have a standing cooler.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/wgxussiyxf8
For this build I used pocket holes and suitable screws. I prefer pocket hole technology for out door projects as they hold well and if they become loose over time, the screws can be easily tightened.
Making a Sturdy Cabinet from Reclaimed Wood
- Read Time: 3 mins
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I believe that most woodworkers are very in-tune with where their wood comes from and all of them that I know of, will go to great lengths to use their lumber sparingly to make sure there is a little waste as possible. Many, like me, will also take advantage of obtaining used lumber, also called salvage or re-claimed lumber. There is often a bit more work in using this wood but there is also a bit of satisfaction knowing that it wasn't just simply sent to the landfill or burned, and that it could be re-used for other things. I don't go out of my way looking for this wood, but I never pass up an opportunity when I see it.
In this case I was lucky to get quite a few sheets of 1/8 plywood paneling that had been removed from the interior of a house. I have been using it for cabinet back and jisgs for many many years. When I decided to make this finishing products storage cabinet I immediately though of using my re-claimed lumber stash.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Hzd3cTgv1eY
Because I was using 1/8" plywood for the structure, in order to make the cabinet sturdy, I ended up using 2" x 3/4" as the shell to glue the plywood to. This made a very strong but surprisingly light cabinet. Much lighter that say using 3/4" plywood or a similar structural component, and for something that is only holding storage items, this was more than adequate.
I was fortunate to even find used hardware for this project, even the wheels, door pulls and hinges were re-claimed from some other project somewhere and I purchased them from the the Habitat for Humanity Store that I frequently visit and am happy to help contribute to ... they do good work.
Of course the main purpose of this cabinet for me, is to get all my wood finishing products in one location. I have, on occasion, made trips to the hardware store to purchase product, like varnish, to finish one of my projects, then after I have opened and used it and put it away, I discover I already had a can of this in a place I had forgot to look, so hopefully this cabinet will help me be a bit more diligent in using what I have first .... hopefully.
Another Thin Strip Ripping Jig
- Read Time: 4 mins
- Hits: 13489
I am amazed at how many times I need to rip thin strips of wood ... for all sorts of things. Often they are shorter stips, less than 24 inches, but often I seem to make multiple versions of them, like when I am making banding and gluing together many small strips of wood. Then other times I am need a thin strip of wood to cover the edge of a board, like a shelf that I made from plywood and I want to cover the front of the plywood with a nice strip of natural wood. Many, many reasongs for cutting thin strips ...
I remember the first thin strip jig I ever made, it was quick and crude but it worked well until it got lost in the shuffle and probably ended up in another jig or some other project, which mean the next time I needed a thin strip I neede to re-make that jig all over again.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/bGxskWwOYeE
Later, after purchasing a pair of magnetic switches, I used them to make another version of the thin strip ripping jig. This version worked well, but it was a bit slower and you could rip almost any lenght of wood with it. That jig and article are featured here, and to see the part of the video, you need to move along to 6:50 in the video Thin Strip Jig
The new creation I am making in this episode is a different kind of ripping jig ...
Making 2 Arts and Crafts Style Bedside Tables
- Read Time: 2 mins
- Hits: 6997
I can't remember the first time I saw Arts and Crafts style furniture, but it was love at first sight. I'm sure I must have been 9 or 10 years old, I didn't even know it had a name, I just loved the furniture that my Grandparents had ... and as it turns out, it was Arts and Crafts furniture. I wish I had it now.
There is a huge following of people like me who love the look of this bold, square furniture. In this video I am making a pair of bedside tables from the plans from a book by Robert W. Lang called "More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture" - 30 Stickley Designs for Every Room in the Home. ISBN 13 - 978-1-892836-14-4 and should be quite widely available in book stores and often in better woodworking stores as well. I do not know where the drawings came from or how they got into this book. I have not been able to find a picture of these exact bedside tables so perhaps they are in a private collection somewhere, but I would love to see what the Stickley version of these look like.
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/FBI6U55_sy8
Although not in the traditon of A&C, the tables I made will feature some splated alder that I collected myself from the forsest ... you can watch that VIDEO HERE
Watch this and other similar videos on YouTube - https://youtu.be/GB9Z3L0Ie1M
Like most Stickley furniture, in an ideal world, these should be made from Red Oak but in my case I used Red Alder as that is what I had on hand and it's a wood I love to work with ...
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